Narco-Music Singer Killed in Tijuana Cartel Attack

Another narco-music signer was killed by cartel gunmen in Tijuana on Tuesday.

A narcocorrido singer identified as Roberto Domínguez Trejo, 25, of “Los Hijos del Cartel” (Sons of the Cartel) was gunned down in front of his family Tuesday afternoon while at a gas station, according to local reports.

Breitbart Texas law enforcement sources say the victim was standing near fuel pumps when an unknown gunman seated inside a green Chevrolet Camaro opened fire at close range. The attacker then sped away from the area. It is believed the victim was followed prior to the incident. Responding emergency personnel pronounced the singer dead at the scene, according to local reports.

Narcocorridos are popular, yet controversial, in both Mexico and the U.S. The modern folk songs are often about drug lords or those dedicated to the trade and which glorify a violent lifestyle. They often draw anger from rival drug lords.
In mid-July, a singer identified as Samuel Barraza Rivas, 35, was gunned down at an upscale Galerías Hipódromo plaza shopping center in Tijuana. Another frontman, Luis Mendoza, 23, was killed in the neighboring state of Sonora days before.

Tijuana is engulfed in a bitter cartel turf war which broke homicide records in 2018 with 2,518 cases officially registered. Unofficial homicide compilations for 2019 show 1,400 incidents to date. These figures are rising despite Mexico City’s deployments of additional police and military personnel.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com.